Identification and quantitation method for nonylphenol and lower oligomer nonylphenol ethoxylates in fish tissues

Substantial research is currently focused on the toxicological effects of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) and alkylphenols (APs) on aquatic animals. Considerable data are available on the concentrations of APEs and APs in river systems in the United States; however, few if any data are available on the tissue concentrations of fish living in these rivers. A reliable method for the analysis of nonylphenol (NP) and lower oligomer nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE1-3) in fish tissues has been developed. Nonylphenol and NPE1-3 were extracted from fish tissues using extractive steam distillation. Normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) was used as a cleanup step prior to analysis by gas chromatography with mass selective detection (GC/MSD) using selected ion monitoring. Optimization of this technique resulted in consistent recoveries in excess of 70%, with the exception of NPE3 (17%). Method detection limits (MDLs) and limits of quantitation using the technique range from 3 to 20 and 5 to 29 ng/g wet weight, respectively. Nonylphenol and NPE1 were detected in subsamples (n = 6) of a single common carp captured in the Las Vegas Bay of Lake Mead (NV, USA) at average concentrations of 184+/-4 ng/g and 242+/-9 wet weight, respectively. Nonylphenol ethoxylates were not detected in the carp collected at Lake Mead.